New rumors suggest that Apple plans to make more acquisitions -- potentially spending as much as $1 billion -- and will make a "big move" in the living room with a new TV-centric push.

Dan Frommer of Silicon Alley Insider on Monday night moderated an event with a number of chief executives in Manhattan. Out of that discussion came a number of rumors about Apple.

"Apple's shopping spree isn't over, and the company is looking at all kinds of deals, even up to $1 billion," Frommer wrote. "This is being led by Apple's newish deals guy, former Goldman banker Adrian Perica."

Apple has more than $40 billion in cash, money that Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in February that Apple must "think big" with. He said his company would take "big, bold" risks with its massive war chest.

The last year has been busy for Apple in terms of acquisitions. In January it was revealed that Apple bought Quattro Wireless, which laid the groundwork for Apple's forthcoming iAd mobile advertising platform, set to launch July 1. And late last year, Apple acquired streaming music service Lala for $85 million, an acquisition that is believed to pave the way for a cloud-based iTunes.

Most recently, in April, it was revealed that Apple had acquired Siri, which developed a personal assistant application for the iPhone. The software allows users to find local businesses and complete activities like make a dinner reservation or purchase movie tickets, all through voice commands.

Frommer also revealed that Apple's "next big move" will be in TV. The report did not say whether that means the company is planning an actual television set -- which has been which rumored for some time -- or or a redesign of the already established Apple TV set top box. In May, one rumor suggested that a cloud-centric Apple TV would be based on iOS 4, offer 1080P streaming video, run Apple's custom A4 processor, and cost just $99.

"Apple's next big move is going to be TV," Frommer wrote. "Besides the leaks of a supposed new Apple TV device, the company also renamed its iPhone OS 'iOS,' foreshadowing a future beyond mobile devices. The company's move into advertising -- mobile, so far, but no reason it can't extend into TV somehow -- is another hint."

I sold my Apple TV with hopes that Apple comes out with a new device this fall.

If they do, the value of the original Apple TV will go in the tank.

How do you know that the old Apple TV boxes won't be able to run the new ATV OS? It's very possible this will be likely. And it would be in Apple's interest to get all those ATV boxes, old and new, running the same OS and being able to access the same content.

I do not see Apple coming out with a TV. Nothing good can come from that.

Apple needs to deal with a low margin on a box if they intend on being serious with this space.

I sold my Apple TV with hopes that Apple comes out with a new device this fall.

If they do, the value of the original Apple TV will go in the tank.

some family just bought a new $1300 LED LCD TV. it has netflix, vudu, yahoo and google built in. i even uploaded some photos to their picasa this morning and a video to youtube so they can watch it tonight. next year this TV will be under $1000.

there is no computer required, no itunes needed, my inlaws can watch a lot of movies over netflix and rent movies from vudu. other TV's and blu ray players are even including pandora. if apple doesn't do something then iTunes is going the way of the dodo.

apple TV is overpriced and under featured when you compare it to game consoles and internet enabled TV's and blu ray players

Ideally Apple would take over a cable or satellite company just so I wouldn't have to deal with Comcast anymore. Seriously 15 minutes for their boxes to reboot and become usable after a lost of power for a second because it has to redownload the entire guide and all settings first. There's got to be a better way than that

It wont be an Apple Television, just a new Apple TV device/OS and service. One that will also enable you to record TV shows from a cable connection in addition to buying content from iTunes and surfing the Internet from your E-Z Boy recliner.

As cable companies control the pipe that many people get their Internet service through, it would be hard for Apple to attempt to compete directly with cable companies in supplying content if they weren't somehow part of the whole deal, like AT&T and the iPhone. Unless Apple is planning to buy an entire TV Network and cable company, which it easily could with that much spare cash laying around,

Ideally Apple would take over a cable or satellite company just so I wouldn't have to deal with Comcast anymore. Seriously 15 minutes for their boxes to reboot and become usable after a lost of power for a second because it has to redownload the entire guide and all settings first. There's got to be a better way than that

I think many Americans spend as much time in their car as in front of their televisions. I would love it if Apple could replace my car's touchscreen radio/phone connectivity with iOS. I'm sure there are parents who say the same thing about the backseat entertainment system. Sure, you could buy everyone iPads, but it takes forever to load them up with video... why not stream the video from the car's server? Which syncs to the house when within range?

...the reason the Boxee Box has been delayed into Q4 is because they're in talks with Apple? Obviously Apple doesn't want Boxee itself, but there's got to be some talent and code there that's worthwhile. Just a little conspiracy theory for your afternoon pleasure.

How do you know that the old Apple TV boxes won't be able to run the new ATV OS? It's very possible this will be likely. And it would be in Apple's interest to get all those ATV boxes, old and new, running the same OS and being able to access the same content.

The older Apple TV boxes are Intel-based. I doubt if Apple would bother building all the libraries, etc. for an essentially dead x86 Apple TV platform. They would simply move on.

I hope Apple buys a Sat TV company which would solve Jobs' "Go to Market" problem.

Those companies really have a bad deal though from a content acquisition perspective. Dish is worth $8.3B as well, making it a pretty tough pill to swallow.

A successful strategy in the living room would almost do better with a pure content play such as NBC Universal, but at $30B+, it doesn't really seem like it would do much for ROI. All of these companies are pretty low multiplier; they would have to change how people use content to "unlock value" in the businesses.

People don't want to pay for yet another set top box.
If Apple does create a new AppleTV box - the price to consumers will be $0.00 - They'll pay for the hardware through service subscriptions.

If the box is iPhone small, with an A4 and some flash memory - a better direction for Apple is encourage TV makers to create TVs with the hardware built-in. Or perhaps with a slot to accommodate the device. No additional remotes. No wires.

The AppleTV would just be another channel on the TV with downloadable content. apps (like AirVideo), YouTube.

6 new business / RD proto type ,Micro div to be run by steve jobs and to be run as an additional floating div moving in and out of all 5 and whatever other area's 'they need to be including other firms at will .

rant s over
i am home for the next month recovering from surgery
lucky you guys have my inane wisdom 24/7

The older Apple TV boxes are Intel-based. I doubt if Apple would bother building all the libraries, etc. for an essentially dead x86 Apple TV platform. They would simply move on.

It's just not worth it. The TV HW hasn't changed since it's introduction and they have had over 3 years of updates. I think it's a dead duck.

The A4 processor plus Imagination SGX GPU with VXD decoder could be put into a device as small as an iPod Nano in an iPod Dock, and could easily push Main/High-Profile H.264 1080p (like what's found in Blu-ray) while offering 802.11n streaming.

Since there would be no power constraints and the prevailing rumour is it would lose the HDD for NAND for mostly streaming, this is more than doable at a much lower cost than the current TV with the antiquated Intel Pentium M processor.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

People don't want to pay for yet another set top box.
If Apple does create a new AppleTV box - the price to consumers will be $0.00 - They'll pay for the hardware through service subscriptions.

If the box is iPhone small, with an A4 and some flash memory - a better direction for Apple is encourage TV makers to create TVs with the hardware built-in. Or perhaps with a slot to accommodate the device. No additional remotes. No wires.

The AppleTV would just be another channel on the TV with downloadable content. apps (like AirVideo), YouTube.

C.

the new mac mini is a great ATV
with the new HD AUDIO port you can access 500 g of tv shows and movies video podcast home movies and music of course FROM YOIUR ITUNES ACCOUNT

Apple will have to come up with something cool to justify their margins. but i can see some people paying twice the price as a regular TV just because it was made by Apple

It really bugs me when people say this as if it has any validity.

I don't know a single person who would pay more for something just because it was made by Apple (or, more accurately, has an Apple logo).

I know a lot of Apple fans - and they willingly pay more for quality, ease of use, ecosystem, etc. They have come to equate 'ease of use' with Apple and have come to expect quality from Apple products. They're paying more (if, indeed, they ARE paying more, which isn't always the case) for the quality and ease of use.

The problem with the industry is that everyone else is chasing cheap, 'me too' products rather than creating their own ecosystem that works well together.

In any event, I wish this "Apple fanbois will buy anything with an Apple logo" crap would disappear since it couldn't be further from the truth. When Apple makes a product with no compelling advantage, it doesn't sell well - Apple Cube, Apple TV, etc.

"I'm way over my head when it comes to technical issues like this"Gatorguy 5/31/13

It's just not worth it. The TV HW hasn't changed since it's introduction and they have had over 3 years of updates. I think it's a dead duck.

The A4 processor plus Imagination SGX GPU with VXD decoder could be put into a device as small as an iPod Nano in an iPod Dock, and could easily push Main/High-Profile H.264 1080p (like what's found in Blu-ray) while offering 802.11n streaming.

Since there would be no power constraints and the prevailing rumour is it would lose the HDD for NAND for mostly streaming, this is more than doable at a much lower cost than the current TV with the antiquated Intel Pentium M processor.

Exactly, I think an ARM-based Apple TV could arrive at a BOM cost of about $50-75. That would let Apple price the device under the magic $200 point.

It would probably retain a similar form factor, mostly because of the cable connectors (component video, HDMI, audio, Ethernet). The NAND flash memory would probably be the priciest part (for caching/storage buffer) followed by the A4-based SoC.

I sold my Apple TV with hopes that Apple comes out with a new device this fall.

If they do, the value of the original Apple TV will go in the tank.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trajectory

How do you know that the old Apple TV boxes won't be able to run the new ATV OS? It's very possible this will be likely. And it would be in Apple's interest to get all those ATV boxes, old and new, running the same OS and being able to access the same content.

iOS is multiplatform and highly scalable. There is nothing in the iOS that only must require an ARM processor to run, apart from kernel and driver changes. You can already run iOS if you have the iPhone Simulator on your Mac. (which isn't an emulator btw)

I'm not surprised if Apple releases iOS for x86 ATVs and upcoming ARM based ATVs based on their recent patent filings being able to run iPhone apps.

Having said that, another reason why Apple is telling developers to use their newest LLVM compiler technology over GCC is to "Future proof" their iOS apps in upcoming devices.

EDIT: 1. With the recent Mac Mini update, what's Apple's intention of including an HDMI port? Who are the audience they are targeting? Do you think budget concerned consumers want that overly priced device? Or Media center freaks who want an all-in-one/computer device?

2. Changing iPhone OS to iOS because of... current and upcoming devices?

3. And finally Jobs at D8: "The television industry fundamentally has a subsidized business model that gives everyone a set-top box, and that pretty much undermines innovation in the sector. The only way this is going to change is if you start from scratch, tear up the box, redesign and get it to the consumer in a way that they want to buy it. But right now, there's no way to do that ... . The TV is going to lose until there's a viable go-to-market strategy. That's the fundamental problem with the industry. It's not a problem with the technology, it's a problem with the go-to-market strategy ... . I'm sure smarter people than us will figure this out, but that's why we say Apple TV is a hobby."

Buy up some content company and have them featured on their devices (besides Disney). Maybe ABC or NBC Sure would give Comcast the creepers. And make the videos of that content non-DRMed. That way, plenty of people will buy cheap content from iTunes and buy Apple TV set

Having said that, another reason why Apple is telling developers to use their newest LLVM compiler technology over GCC is to "Future proof" their iOS apps in upcoming devices.

Apple's current recommendation for production code is GCC-LLVM, which uses the GCC front-end parser with the LLVM back-end codegen. Apple is moving away from GCC because LLVM is a much better technology stack and because GCC moved to GPLv3 after 4.2 which carries too much baggage for Apple. The generated code is exactly compatible and carries no advantages in terms of portability to other hardware. In fact, GCC has many more hardware targets than LLVM at this time.

Looking at getting into TV, maybe the years old TiVo rumors will be returning? $1 billion should be pretty close, considering a current market cap of $867 million.

As your guess seems most appropriate, I'd rather suggest a move towards german-american Elgato www.elgato.com/, whose EyeTV hardware/software for both Mac and PC (and iPhone/iPad) are among the most innovative and as I see it goes even more beyond "TV" as we know it than TiVo.

I think it makes perfect logic for Apple to have a 'base' media hub in the home that 'anchors' all its mobile products and allows interface/interaction with home uses.

For example, think about Facetime on the iphone4 or future ipad. Imagine the whole family...sister, brother, father, mother being able to sit in front of the tv and have a video chat conversation with the 'big brother' that's off at school. Imagine it being as easy as point and click with Facetime and the son holding up his camera to show his dorm room or introduce his new girlfriend to the family as the family sits watching and the son being able to see the expressions of his family back home and vice versa.

The tv would also serve as a central viewing platform for pictures and videos taken with the iphone and ipad and also a media hub where movies and tv shows on the mobile devices could be stored and watched on a larger screen. The ability to switch between internet surfing and a tv program and to also take phone calls on the same screen as well as send and receive files and information all in real time.

In addition, there will obviously be some kind of 'subscription plan' for movies and entertainment from the major studios and networks.

Some of this is already in Apple TV and some of it is not. I would think they will discontinue Apple TV as we know it and 'upsell' current users to a new Apple 'iHome hub' that will be the center of the Apple universe and integrate mobile devices with home entertainment systems.

I thought the same thing. $1B won't get you an Adobe ($14B), Intuit ($11B), Direct TV ($31B), etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kibitzer

Apple can afford to bet a lot more if they indeed have another game-changer up their sleeve.

Apple tends to buy for technology rather than for hard infrastructure, brand or market share. I would be surprised to see them grow their own business for all these years just to dilute its stock price and burn up cash buying something like a TV network.

I mean, it would be a fun story to watch; I just don't see it happening.